Kuala Lumpur ranked as the world’s most polluted major city at midday on Wednesday, according to live data from Swiss air-quality technology company IQAir, as haze conditions continued to affect parts of Malaysia.
The capital recorded an Air Quality Index (AQI) reading of 199, placing it ahead of Singapore at 198 and Dhaka, Bangladesh at 180.
Lahore, Pakistan ranked fourth with an AQI of 171, followed by Mumbai at 167, New Delhi at 165 and Kolkata at 164.
Dubai recorded an AQI of 159, while Kuching, Sarawak was ranked ninth at 151, alongside Riyadh, Saudi Arabia, which also registered 151.
AQI readings between 151 and 200 are categorised as unhealthy, while readings above 200 fall into the very unhealthy category.
Malaysia has been facing transboundary haze conditions since August following fires in parts of Sumatra and Kalimantan, Indonesia, which have contributed to unhealthy air quality readings in several areas.
In Batu Pahat, Johor, all schools, kindergartens and childcare centres were ordered closed on Wednesday after the local Air Pollutant Index (API) reached 203 at 8pm on Tuesday, placing the district in the very unhealthy category.
